


A Sick Queen

by hose0kk



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Caretaking, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Friendship/Love, One Big Happy Family, Romance, Sick Character, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-21 08:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14912325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hose0kk/pseuds/hose0kk
Summary: Makoto gets the flu, the Phantom Thieves take action and gave Makoto get all the love and care she deserves. Including Sae.





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> such an original title, i know right
> 
> this fic takes place right after sae's palace, makoto getting sick, the thieves taking care of her, ren taking extra extra exxxtra care of her, sae trying to fix her relationship with her sister, well someone had to do it yknOW
> 
> this is nothing but pure family!phantom thieves fluff and of course shumako bcus there's never a fic of mine that i don't put shumako heheheheheh
> 
> there's more to come, my limit might be around three chapters (or more, we'll see lol idk)

Flu season was scattered around throughout the whole year, but after a few months, the season slowly went away. That still doesn't stop most students in Shujin Academy to wear masks for precautions, getting sick would be their last thing they want happening to them before exams.

Makoto didn't care much for it, she barely got sick. Even as a child, most of the time she would only get sore throats and that would the limit, she would never get anything worse than that. But she really didn't expect for the flu to _actually_ get her this time.

The brunette felt more drowsy than ever, her head was spinning and the back of her eyes hurt, she felt like she was on air the entire time. Her chest felt much heavier while her sore throat made her struggle to talk properly. She woke up this morning sniffly and every part of her being just wanted to sleep in but she knew better than to skip school. She forced herself to get out of her comfortable bed, so tempted to fall back right in.

_I'm exhausted._

Standing up was so much worse, she walked on wobbly legs as if her head was weighing down her entire body. Her nose felt clogged up so she had to take short, shaky breaths from her mouth. She carefully walked on her carpeted floor and to the bathroom, hoping a warm shower would ease her.

And it did, for the time being. She felt so much more refreshed but the pain in her chest still lingered. Wrapped up in a towel, she took two steps at a time from slipping on the bathroom floor before safely reaching the sink. Immediately, she noticed her bloodshot eyes, the white in her eyes were almost going to be the same colour of her ruby orbs. She tried to clear her stubborn throat only to be greeted with an intense wave of coughing a little bit after, she coughed into the sink, spitting the excess saliva.

She held her utmost to not throw up, she felt so drained even from her shower. She sighed.

_I can't afford to skip.._

She knew it was a reckless decision but it was the harsh reality when you are student council president, if she even bothered to actually skip a day, she would be bombarded with questions from the disciplinary teachers. Harsh words would come out of their mouths if she tried to take a day off, she'd rather avoid that.

Nevertheless, she dried her damp hair with another towel and wore her uniform, shivering tiredly to wear her tights and skirt. Not only she was sick and cold but her entire body felt sore, any movement involving bending down or stretching only worsen her condition. But she managed to get everything on.

She rubbed her eyes, trying to remember where she put her braided hairband but she couldn't, her head felt so hazy. She tapped her chest hard, resulting in more coughing. She tried to swallow, it hurt. She wanted to drink something so badly.

Which reminded her that breakfast awaits her, she could hear her stomach growling in hunger but she didn't dare to thought to swallow anything through her painful throat. She lets out an half annoyed wheeze due to her stuffy nose.

She grabbed her book bag quickly and her hairband that was placed right next to it, immediately wearing it. Usually, Makoto would be moving much faster and would be eating breakfast right about now like any other school day, but she was sick - she didn't give a single care of how slow she was, she just feels fatigued.

Whilst preparing her leftovers from yesterday for breakfast, she begun to wonder if her sister even came back home last night. She glanced at her sister's closed door across the hallway, wondering if her sister was inside or even, if she was still at work. She hoped that she was living a much better day than she was. She's starting to have second thoughts on school, wishing she could skip for the day and secretly thought about Sae taking care of her.

Makoto awaited her breakfast being warmed up in the microwave, hearing the first three beeps, indicating that her meal was ready. She reluctantly got out her plate, wincing as her fingers burned under the hotness of the plate and quickly setting it on the table, hearing a loud thump to it.

She wasn't sure if yesterday's dinner would be appropriate for breakfast but she doesn't have time to make a new one, she doesn't have the energy to do so anyway. Eating was inevitable, she can't leave with an empty stomach and she knew that but the way her throat stung when it made contact with rice she was eating made her lose her appetite.

She forced herself to munch through her entire plate, at least letting her stomach settle despite her displeasure of her sore throat. After leaving the dish in the sink, she made a mental note to clean it up after school but now she had to leave.

Makoto wondered where it all went wrong, maybe she was too careless about her health. She luckily found a seat in the train before anyone took it, she would've fainted if she was standing too long in a moving transport, not to mention the tight squeeze she had to get through from the crowd.

She leaned back into her seat and closed her eyes, hoping to at least rest her tired eyes on the way to school. Shibuya was truly awful during it's early work hours, too many people, she felt like she was suffocating with so many bodies pressed against her.

It was in the late November, she can't get sick. She just can't. Makoto thought it would be a burden to her team members and Ren, they were _this_ close to steal their final target's heart; Shido, the one that will save Japan itself. She has to stay alert to her health from now on. She was at least relieved that her sister now had a different change of heart and knew of her thievery operations, she always had the support from her.

Her throat suddenly felt itchy and another wave of violent coughs erupted from her, she faced the other way to cover them. Feeling embarrassed of the number of eyes on her while she was coughing, she could feel the evident of disgust from them. She felt like she was being a disturbance in the crowded subway. Nonetheless, she forced to stop her coughing and waited desperately to get out of there.

Relief ran over her as she finally arrived to her destination in Aoyama Station, she stood up and so did a numerous amount of students did as well. Finally arriving at school, she went straight to the council room. She tried her best to not stand out or wobble climbing up the stairs, her headache was killing her but she had to bare with it.

She covered her coughs into her mouth, gasping as her chest swelled up in pain. She gripped the table, head down to it. She stood like that for a few good seconds before returning to her usual posture, her palm to her head.

She wished Ren was here but that would be asking too much, the boy had done so much for the team already. He almost sacrificed himself for them, for her. Even if he wasn't at school at least Makoto knew that he was safe and sound at Leblanc.

_Still, she wouldn't mind just to see him, only if it was for a little while.._

Makoto flushed at the thought, her face was already warm to begin with but now she's burning up.

A knock on the door snapped her back to reality, she turned her head to her fellow council members. They bowed respectfully to her. "I apologize to disturb you, senpai--"

"N-No, no. It's quite alright." Makoto brushed off the feeling of coughing in her throat and smiled wryly. "What is it?"

"The disciplinary teachers would like a moment with you in the faculty office." One of them said, opening the door further for her to exit the room. She hastily nodded, leaving her belongings here and walked carefully out of the council room, her headache now felt like someone was hammering her head.

Eventhough she felt like crawling, Makoto forced her legs to move. The walk to the faculty office like like an eternity, even when she was accompanied by her student council members, she walked much slower compared to them and now she was getting even slower.

She froze in her spot, her eyes were getting cloudy and blurry on sight. She could hear the loud white noise in her ears as her entire body felt heavy all of a sudden.

"Miss president, are you alright?" She heard someone said, she tried to grab onto something for stability. She's not feeling so good.

Next thing she knew, her eyesight turn to black. She heard someone yell her name, or something, she can't really remember. She did remember falling down, down, _down_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto gets the pampering of her life from her dear friends and her boyfriend, Ren.

Makoto didn't know where she was, only that she was very comfortable somewhere with a blankets and pillows but her unsettling high temperature didn't make as satisfying as she wanted. She felt her headache worsen, she pry her eyes open but the bright light entering her eyes only bothered her headache more. She slowly fluttered them open, trying to make out the blurry figures in front of her.

"Hey, she's awake!" Makoto heard someone said.

"Oh, thank god, Makoto!" That voice sounded familiar.

"Shh, not too loud. She's still too tired. Maybe we should let her rest more.." Makoto wasn't sure what was going on.

"But she hasn't eaten anything and I think it's better if we let her rest in her apartment than here."

"Hello, Mako-chan. Are you okay?" She heard the sweet serene voice of Haru Okumura, she blinked her eyes a bit more to regain her vision properly. Makoto figured that she was in the nurses office and the blurry figures in front of her were Haru, Ann and Ryuji. She was right.

She was greeted with the worried looks on her only Shujin friend's faces, Haru smiling softly to her as she placed her palm on her burning face. Ann and Ryuji having deep frowns.

"Guys?" She weakly said, her throat practically screaming at her to not speak. She started coughing up another round, her blocked nose made it hard to breathe. She slowly pulls off the sheets off of her, the heat getting to her was unbearable under all of her clothes.

"You're burning up." Haru's lovely smile turned worrisome, stroking the girl's face motherly.

"What.. happened?"

"You fainted from exhaustion, right in front of the faculty office. You were lucky that me and Ann were there and your council members too." Ryuji explained, the frown never leaving his face. "It did stir up a crowd while we were tryin' to send you here, ugh, what a bunch of assholes."

"I.. did?" Makoto flushed, trying to remember the according memory.

"I almost thought you dropped dead, I was so worried." Ann sighed. "Why are you even here at school, Makoto? You're sick, aren't you supposed to be resting at home?"

Makoto had nothing to say to that, she wasn't sure what to say in the first place. She admit, it was a stupid decision. She should've listened to herself and stayed at home.

She shrugged. "I.. don't know." Her throat tickling, feeling up another wave of coughs ahead of her.

Haru sighed at that. "We shouldn't keep her here any longer, school hours are almost over as well."

"Wait.. what!?" Makoto sat up suddenly, her voice much clearer than before. She soon regretted the choice to sit up from the bed as she coughed violently into her hands. After a while, the coughing stopped, feeling the uncomfortable pain in her chest not going away. "What time is it..?"

"Hey there, sit back down. It's almost 2 o'clock, if you're wondering." Ann softly pushed her back to the bed, wincing listening to the terrible dry coughs Makoto had.

"You slept through the whole school day." Ryuji chuckled. "I guess you were pretty exhausted, huh?"

Makoto blushed at that, not realizing how much sleep she needed after a while. "D-Did you guys stay with me the whole time?"

"Pretty much." Ryuji and Ann shrugged, they seemed relieved at that.

"O-Oh." Makoto muttered. "I'm sorry I kept you all waiting." She fiddled her fingers, remembering that she needed to do more things while she was still in school.

"No need to apologize, Mako-chan. Your health is much more important to us than anything." Haru reassured, holding the girl's hand tightly.

"Seriously, I didn't think I'd last in class much longer anyway." Ryuji joked, only to be elbowed by Ann, glaring at him profusely. Ryuji winced in pain and glared back at the blonde.

Makoto scratched her head, maybe if she still had time, she could at least do some work in the mean time. "I-I have to do some work for counci--"

"Hold it right there. We are _not_ letting you stay in school any longer." Ann shook her head, sending the sick girl an unamused stare. "You're human too, don't just let lousy council work get you, you need rest! Think about what your sister feels!"

"But--"

"No buts!" Ann scolded, holding up a finger to her.

"What she said! Makoto, you're sick for god's sakes. Take your health seriously, man." Ryuji said, shaking his head.

"W-Well, I--"

Haru agreed with them, giving a strict stare to her. Makoto didn't think such a serious stare would look adorable on the girl. "We are taking you home, whether you like it or not, Mako-chan. You're in no condition to ride the train anyway."

"We already contacted Ren too, he wants to meet you immediately when we arrive to your place." Ann smiled. "You made him really worried there, Makoto."

The brunette blushed at that, giving an absentminded soft smile at the thought of Ren in her thoughts. She heavily sighed, her smile never leaving her face. "You guys are really not going to let me do my work, aren't you?"

"Nope." The all said in unison.

Soon after right school ended, Makoto was carefully brought back home to her apartment with the three. Ann holding her from waist and threw her arm around her shoulder as support, Haru holding her belongings as Ryuji followed along. The fluffy haired girl insisted that they rode in her private car with the help of her company staff sending her back home, while Makoto tried to refuse the offer, Haru was more than grateful to send the girl to her apartment. It took a few minutes but by the time they were out if the school building, a black car was already waiting for them in front of the gate.

"Damn, Haru. You get to ride this to school AND back like this? Holy shit." Ryuji's eyes shot wide at the fancy-looking vehicle. The driver came out and opened the door for them to enter. The two blondes were ecstatic, never expecting such luxury of being in the Okumura family.

"It beats from riding the train all the time, I'm kinda jealous." Ann laughed, sitting properly in her seat, not wanting to ruin the nice car seats.

While Ann and Ryuji were absolutely distracted and astonished by Haru's fancy privilege, Makoto was closing her eyes, hoping to catch some sleep in between traveling. She leaned back into her seat, thinking how she could explain Sis about her condition.

 _Just call her, Makoto. What are you so afraid of?_ Makoto didn't have an answer to that, even after stealing her sister's heart, she couldn't help but feel inclined to open her thoughts to her own sister. But she promised herself to do so, there was a reason why she became a Phantom Thief and went all this way through this year to become a better person not only for herself, but for Sis.

"Mako-chan.. Mako-chan?" Makoto turned her head to Haru's voice, it seemed that she was calling her name for a while now. She shook her head.

"I apologize for spacing out. What is it, Haru?" Makoto felt the girl's hand placed on top of hers.

"Ah, it's nothing. You seem awfully tired. You can rest first until we arrive to your apartment." She placed the back of her hand on the girl's forehead, trying to read her temperature. She was still hot. "And since Ren would be coming by, I thought of cooking something for you."

"That isn't necessary, Haru." Makoto replied, her voice now sounding much lower than her usual tone, earning that sick effect.

"I want to." Haru shook her head, she insisting to cook something nice for her. Although, Haru wasn't the greatest cook, she was decent in making something healthy and practical for a sick person. "Only if you give me permission to use your kitchen."

Makoto wryly smiled. "Alright."

Later that afternoon, the three teenagers arrived to Makoto's apartment building. The girls helping the brunette out of the car carefully while Ryuji helped to carry their belongings all the way to the apartment door.

"The key is in my bag." Makoto said, weakly pointing to the book bag Ryuji was holding. The blonde searched through her belongings and felt the familiar cold metal against his fingers and gave the keys to Ann.

Inside, the group was quick to handle the situation as Ann held Makoto to her room and Haru immediately headed to the kitchen.

"Ann, how about you bring Makoto to clean herself up and let her wear something comfortable while I make something for her to eat?" Haru called out the blonde who was in the hallway on the way to the brunette's room. Ann nodded brightly to her, obeying the girl's orders and carefully took care of Makoto to the bathroom.

"Ryuji, how about you help me make some food? Ren is on his way right now with some medicine and I'd like a hand on the cooking." Haru grinned, rolling up her sleeves for preparations.

"Uh, I might not be the best cook though." Ryuji scratched his head embarrassingly.

"That's alright. Neither am I! But we can make something easy." Haru was already looking through the fridge for any ingredients to use. She knew the bases of cooking so it wouldn't be so bad.

"If you say so." Ryuji chuckled, placing their bags on the coffee table and heading towards the kitchen.

 _"Don't break anything, Ryuji!"_ Suddenly yelled Ann from across the hallway, along with a holler of laughter from her.

"Shut up!" Ryuji strike back, shooting glares at the empty hallway.

Haru giggled at the two arguing blondes, thinking how well those two would make a great couple as she washed her hands thoroughly in the sink.

-

"Change out your clothes first, okay?" Ann smiled at her friend as she sat her down on the toilet seat. "I'm going to fill up the tub."

Makoto felt a bit hesitant to change out of her clothes, but there were only girls here. She shouldn't be embarrassed. Slowly, she unbuttoned her school vest, along with her long sleeved white shirt. Then her skirt, her tights and finally her undergarments. By the time she was finished changing, the tub with filled with warm water, almost calling for Makoto to relax in it.

Ann guided the girl into the tub, careful to not let her slip. Makoto dipped her toes, then her body next, before completely relaxing in the warm water.

A contented sigh escaped from the brunette's chapped lips and she closes her eyes, enjoying the warm water soothing her sick and sore body, like hundreds of of hands were massaging her. She didn't know that a warm bath after a long and tiring day in school was this great, she made sure to appreciate warm baths more.

"Don't fall asleep in the bath on me." Ann laughed. "I'll be right back, I'm just gonna get your clothes and towel, okay?"

Makoto hummed in response, too tired to form an actual reply while her face was halfway into the water. Right after Ann left, Makoto felt the need to cough again, she accidentally let water travel up her nose. She instantly sat up in the tub, coughing heavily and dryly for a full minute. She could feel the horrible burning sensation through her sinuses, she groaned as she blew her nose frantically. Her coughs soon settled down while the pain in her nose lingered.

As a result, Makoto just sat properly in the tub, her legs pressed against her chest and her arms wrapped around her knees. She felt wide awake after her nose went through so much so she settled with waiting for Ann to come back.

She heard the knock on the door and Ann peeked in from behind it, holding her towel and what it seems like her Buchimaru-kun pajamas. She glared at her at the choice of clothing.

"Did you really have to pick _that_ one?" Makoto's face was colored in a lovely shade of red seeing the familiar black and white mascot on the clothing.

"What? It's Buchi! It's cute!" Ann pouted. "And besides, the material on these are perfect. The heat won't get to you much if you wear this."

"Fine, fine." Makoto huffed, letting out a few dry coughs, hugging her knees tightly.

"You okay?" Ann asked, putting the clothes on the cover of the toilet seat before kneeling down to the girl. She dipped her fingers into the tub just in case to check on the temperature if it was too hot.

"..Y-Yeah. Just some water traveled up my nose." She coughed.

"Here, let me help you wash." Ann offered, rolling up her sleeves and gathering up the warm water and on to Makoto's back and her head.

They stood like that for the whole time, Ann kept the girl in comfortable silence. The blonde glanced up to see Makoto fighting off the urge to sleep in the tub, she smiled amusingly at her. At least she seemed relaxed in her aid. Ann then told her to turn around so she could wash her and rinse her off, to which Makoto obeyed. A few moments later, once Ann had washed her hair, the latter rinsed her off with more warm water, working hard to keep the girl clean and fresh. When they were done, Ann helped her out of the bath tub and wrapped her in her towel, telling her to wear her clothes and head to her bedroom while she drained the tub.

Makoto found herself wearing her old Buchimaru-kun pajamas that she hasn't worn in a few years, she thought it didn't fit her anymore but it turns out it still did. Either way, she tiredly draped the towel over her damp hair and weakly walked to her bedroom. Immediately, she laid down on her bed and coughed every so often. She felt faint and hot but she tried her best to keep her heavy eyes open.

Ann entered the room, holding a bowl of water and a handkerchief in her hand. She saw the brunette curled up in her bed, she looked so comfortable, she hated to ruin her peaceful rest but she kneeled down next to her bed and called out to her.

"Makoto, have you contacted your sister yet?" Ann asked softly, dipping the cloth into the water.

Makoto was silent for a few seconds before shaking her head. "...Not yet."

"Do you want me to help you contact her?" Ann straining the excess water from the cloth, suddenly Makoto sat up slightly before shaking her head.

"N-No, it's okay. She might be too busy, I-I don't want to bother her." Makoto stammered, a sense of panic in her pained chest.

Ann frowned at that, knowing well that Makoto doesn't really have the best relationship with her sister, she's trying her hardest to fix it after they changed Sae's heart but she knows that the latter is still very hesitant around the subject.

"Makoto, she'll find out anyway. There's no reason for you keep this from her." Ann tried to be considerate towards her by reassuring her. "You're sick, she has to know if you're okay."

Makoto looked into space, almost lost before nodding. "...Y-You're right. I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was thinking." She rolled up her pajama sleeves to her palms, fidgeting with the material. "I just can't.. let go the past. I was so afraid of talking back at her back then."

"But it's different now, she's had a change of heart, Makoto. I'm sure she's realized the things she's done. Give her a chance, okay?" Ann held her fisted palms, gripping them - telling her that it'll be alright.

Makoto nodded silently, watching as Ann pulled out her phone and dialed a number as she tried to brush Makoto's burning skin with the damp cloth. The girl twitched at the sudden cold surface on her skin and hissed a _that's cold_ to Ann. The blonde mouthed a _I'm sorry_ and kept her phone pressed against her ear for the other user to pick up.

Ann's eyes lit up, hearing a female voice pick up her call. "Hello, Sae-san?"

-

"You're doing well, Ryuji!" Haru cheered on as she watched the blonde carefully and nervously stirred the chicken soup in the pot.

Ryuji exhaled a shaky breath. "Sure takes a lot outta you when you cook." He watched as the vegetables float up deliciously in the soup. "I-I really don't know how you do this all the time, Haru."

"You'll get the hang of it, it gets quite easy when you do it all the time." Haru said cheerfully as she checked up on the rice cooker, her lips purses as the rice hasn't cooked properly yet.

Suddenly, the two heard frantic knocking on the door along with heavy breaths. They both looked at each other before Haru went ahead to open the door. "It must be Ren."

Unlocking the door, she was greeted with the leader of the Phantom Thieves who was presumed "dead", huffing deep breaths against the door. His hoodie hiding his face along with Morgana in his bag.

"Hello, Ren! Mona-chan! You're just in time." Haru greeted the fluffy haired male, letting him come in through.

"I'm sorry I'm late, is Makoto okay?" Ren said between breaths, pulling down his hoodie to show a very beat up and bruised face and took off his shoes. "I brought the medicine you told me to bring from Takemi, Haru."

"Take it easy, man. Makoto is alright, she's resting in her room with Ann." Ryuji said from the kitchen, making sure the chicken soup was perfectly in place.

Ren put down Morgana on the table, who climbed out of the bag and was welcomed happily by Haru petting his head. Ren settled down on the couch, still trying to catch his breaths.

"When we found out Makoto fainted, Ren freaked out like crazy." Morgana sighed. "Luckily, I was there to calm him down a bit."

"There's no need to tell that to everyone." Ren muttered at the cat, blushing at the statement. The feline only snickered.

Haru only shook her head in amusement, setting the table up with plates before rushing back to the kitchen to check on the rice as well as looking at Ryuji's soup from time to time.

"Didn't know you could cook, Ryuji." Ren smiled, watching the blonde's back faced to the stove.

"Didn't know you _actually_ could." Morgana scoffed, Ryuji sneered at the cat for it.

"Can it, cat!" Ryuji barked back before glancing at the leader. "Haru helped me a lot, well, she did most of it but I'm learning!" He laughed, holding up the ladle in his hand, showing off his hard work. Haru nodded, proudly watching the blonde slowly make use of a new talent before telling him that the soup was done, ordering him to set it up on the table while she readied two bowls for the soup and rice for Makoto to eat and grabbed along the medicine Ren brought over and rushed away to send to her room.

Ren glanced over Haru walking through the hallway of Makoto's room, eager to see his girlfriend. He watched the girl pass the meal and medicine to Ann and came back to the kitchen. He hesitantly opened his mouth. "Say, can I see Makoto now? Is that okay?"

They both smiled. "Go on ahead, buddy. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you." Ryuji grinned over from the kitchen, giving him a thumbs up.

"Cheer her up a bit, leader. Makoto has missed you dearly." Haru smiled softly to him, pointing her head to the closed door.

With courage, Ren stood up walked towards the door, glancing at his three members cheering him on from the kitchen. Heart pounding in his chest, the male knocked on the door a few times. He gulped, hoping that the girl was okay.

The knob turned and behind it was Ann's head poking out, she smiled brightly seeing their leader. "Hey there, Ren. I assume you're here to see your girlfriend?" She teased.

Ren's face flushed red. "Yeah."

"Alright, why don't you feed her some food and give her meds? I'll give you two some privacy." Ann giggled mischievously before opening the door wide and letting herself out.

Right when the door closed shut, Ren laid his eyes on the curled up figure on the bed, hugging her Buchimaru-kun plushie in her face for her dear life, coughing some into it. He walked closer to the bed and the girl raised her head up to the newcomer, surprised to see her boyfriend, she felt the blood pool around her cheeks.

The male only smiled as his heart grew twice the size seeing his lovely girlfriend huddled up in her pillows and blankets around her, he kneeled down next to her, greeting her by kissing her warm forehead.

Makoto jumped at the feeling, she didn't expect to see the boy so soon but she was glad anyway. She gave a shy smile to him.

"How are you feeling?" Ren whispered, grinning as he watched Makoto hide her embarrassed smile behind Buchimaru-kun.

"..Okay-ish." She sighed, scooting closer to the edge of her bed to get closer to her boyfriend. Ren only kissed her forehead again as a reply.

"Feel better, okay?" He whispered against her head, stroking her hair dearly. He intertwined his fingers with hers, feeling the warmness radiating from his cold ones.

"..You too." She whispered back, reaching up to his bruised face, touching the huge bruise on his cheek softly. Ren nodded in response, holding up the bowl of soup and heard an immediate stomach growl from the girl. He laughed at that.

Makoto blushed, admitting that she hasn't gotten to eat anything yet. Sitting up on her bed, she turned away and let a few coughs out.

The male sat up next to Makoto on the bed, almost cooing at how cute his lover looked half asleep clutching her Buchi plushie. Ren takes the spoon and filled it up with the soup and brings it right in front of Makoto's lips.

Hesitant, she accepts the bite and slurps up the warm soup and swallowed. Chicken soup has never tasted so delicious before as it heavenly coats her tongue and down her sore throat, almost refreshing her.

"It's good." She moans in pure happiness, finally getting to eat something.

"Ryuji made it." Ren chuckled, continuing to feed the girl. "You should thank him later."

"I think I will." Makoto said before biting into some vegetables. They then switched it to the bowl of rice, then back to the soup.

In the end, Makoto managed to finish a quarter of the bowl of soup and rice. Ren was surprised, he was expecting for her to give after a few sips but the girl was surely hungry. He can't blame her for that. Makoto didn't complain about the direct spoon feeding either so the boy was pleased with that.

"Here, eat your medicine next." Ren brought up a small bag with a few packets of medicine; some cough syrup, cold and flu relief pills, etcetera. It took a while for her to take all of her medicine but she got through it all.

Placing down the two almost empty bowls and medicine on the carpeted floor, Ren settled down back on the ground and let Makoto lay back on her bed. The two didn't have to say anything, only exchanging their silence with one another has shown how much they care and trust for each other. Ren leaned in to peck her lips, only to lean in more for a deeper kiss. Makoto reluctantly tried to push him away.

"I'm sick and if you get too near to me, you might get sick later." She whispered, holding his now warm hand.

Ren shook his head, chuckling. "A small sacrifice I'm willing to make." He scooted nearer towards the girl's face, his fingers lightly caressing her frame.

Makoto felt her lover's strong hands, she nuzzled into the hold, kissing the palm of his hand as she held a cute smile on her face. She could see the male move his face closer to hers. Almost instinctively, she wrapped her arms around Ren's neck and gently melted into a kiss.

Their lips moved together as the couple slowly grew to love the taste of their kisses, leaving a few _I love you_ 's between their heavy breathing and smooches.

Makoto smiled into the kiss, trying her best to push away the male, earning a small whine from him - not wanting to get her boyfriend sick the next day. She stroked his face, brushing her thumbs on the apple of his cheeks, feeling her heavy eyelids betraying her. She was getting tired so early due to the medicine kicking in her system.

"You should rest, Makoto." Ren tried shush her to sleep, stroking her hair lovingly.

"..But I want to say with you." Makoto frowned slightly, yawning.

Ren chuckled. "I'll be there when you wake up." He muttered while running his fingers through her damp hair. Makoto nodded understandingly, hugging her Buchi close to her chest. As her consciousness ebbed, Makoto fell asleep in peace while her boyfriend watched her dearly.

With a final goodnight kiss on the lips to end the day, Ren left the room by turning off the lights eventhough it was only 4 p.m.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a reason why futaba and yusuke aren't in this yet! pls bare with me HAHAHA they'll be in the next chapter along with sae as well! <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sae finds out Makoto is ill, she faces her own problems on how to mend her relationship with her sister again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise cameo; akechi !!!!! there's a just a small part of him in this chapter just in case if y'all wanted to know. i just wanted some evilness from him after the whole pt's leader is ded thing so i thought it would be cool to include it !!

Sae Niijima wasn't expecting a call from Ann Takamaki at 3 in the afternoon. She was sure to let them call her strictly for emergencies which was the only reason she gave her phone number to them in the first place.

She picked up the call. "Hello?"

_"Hello, Sae-san?"_

"Good afternoon, Ann." She smiled, listening to cheerful bright tone on the other line.

_"I'm really sorry to be bothering you while you're still at work-"_

"Its alright. I'm just finished, I was going to start packing up anyway."

_"Oh, that's good. Um.."_

Sae hears constant chatter on the other line, she wasn't sure what it was.

_"Listen, uh, Makoto fainted at school-"_

"What?!" Sae shot up instinctively from her seat and earned a few questionable stares from her coworkers. "Excuse me, what happened? Makoto fainted?"

_"H-Hold on! Just calm down, she's okay! She's just sick; but she's resting now."_

"Why haven't you called me earlier?!" Sae raised her voice, gathering more attention around her workplace. She soon realizes that she shouldn't be yelling in such a place, nor at a child on the phone either.

_"I'm really sorry, we just didn't have time! But I promise you; she's okay!"_ She could hear the panicked tone in Ann's voice.

Sae fell silent for a few moments before sighing. "I'm heading straight back, please wait for me."

A few moments after Sae hung up her phone, she briskly packed up her belongings and head straight to the building's elevator. She could feel the stares burning holes at the back of her head as she walked. She pressed the button to the ground floor once she was in the elevator, leaning back against the cold wall. She jumped when the elevator doors didn't close all the way as someone tried to force open it, clearly desperate to get in.

Sae was expecting anyone, at least anyone in the police station to be in the elevator with her but she was greeted with the face she's trying to avoid for the last few days. She felt her blood go cold seeing Goro Akechi smile at her, almost coyly.

"Hello, Sae-san." Akechi nodded his head to the woman before entering the elevator.

Sae greeted the male back coldly, not spouting a single word to him. Now that she's free from her greedy desires, she could truly see Akechi's true intentions. It was hard to believe that she trusted him only a month ago. Sae tried to keep her distance away from him ever since but she mentally cursed at herself once she was in the same room with the man.

"You seem to be in a rush, Sae-san. Going somewhere? I thought you always went home late." Akechi pryed, tilting his head. He tried to look innocent, Sae just wanted to scoff at that.

Sae didn't know what to say, what should she say to the murderer of all the psychotic breakdowns and mental shutdowns? She almost feared if she said the wrong thing to him but she couldn't risk herself to look suspicious or become a target to Akechi's list.

"Makoto fainted at school, I need to go see her." She said straightforwardly, not a hint of lies in her words.

Akechi tried to look surprised but Sae didn't miss the evil glean in his eyes when he turned away. He nodded, acting sympathetically. "I see."

"I don't see why this interests you all of a sudden." Sae sent a menacing glare to the male.

"Oh no, I was merely trying to start a conversation with you. I haven't talked to you in a while after all." Akechi mischievously smiled, it sent chills down her spine.

"I see that you have grown more arrogant after you took over my case." Sae tried to challenge him.

Akechi chuckled. "Can't I have a normal conversation with my partner at work? That's a bit cruel of you, Sae-san. Though, I do thank you for letting me take over your case."

Sae's pride just hurt hearing those last few words, it stung her chest very painfully. She grit her teeth in annoyance when the elevator doors finally opened to the ground floor.

"I best must be going now. Send my regards to your little sister, Sae-san." Akechi's mocking smile turned into a devilish smirk. "She's gonna need it."

Sae felt her blood boil watching the man stroll out of the elevator and into the lobby. He was intentionally trying to catch her off guard and it was pissing her off.

"...Bastard." Sae murmured before she quickly head off out to the parking lot.

On the other hand, Akechi can wait. Makoto awaited her back home.

Sae rushed into her car; well it was her father's car, and started the engine. She carefully drove through Shibuya while a million thoughts were in her head but all she wanted was to be with her sister right now.

-

"This is really good, Ryuji." Ren complimented as he put a spoonful of soup and rice into his mouth, chewing happily.

The blonde scratched his head embarrassingly, sitting down at the table. "Really? Thanks man."

"You're certainly have outdid yourself, Ryuji-kun!" Haru clapped her hands excitedly to the blonde male.

"Yeah, it's really good, I didn't think you could cook!" Ann giggled to Ryuji, whose face now flushed red from the girl's compliment.

"Y-Yeah thanks." Ryuji looked over to Ann, both of them made eye contact. A simple look to each other and they looked away immediately. "At least I can tell my mom I can make something now!" Ryuji nervously laughed, trying to change the subject. Obviously, he couldn't take so much compliments or he would explode of embarrassment.

The group suddenly perked up to the sound of keys clinking from the front door. They looked at each other in slight panic, only to realize it was Sae. They all stood up to greet the woman, bowing to her politely.

Sae breathed heavily, taking off her shoes. "I came here as fast as I could."

"Good evening, Sae-san!" Haru watched the older woman fumble with her keys and set down her bag. She looked exhausted.

"It seems I'm late to the party, it's a rare scene to see many guests in this place." Sae joked, chuckling. She looked around her apartment full with teenagers or the Phantom Thieves, to be exact. She would never had guessed that her sister made such loyal and trustworthy friends in a short period of time.

"You got here just in time, we were just about to dine in!" Ann chirped and sat back down in her seat.

Sae glanced at the leader of the group, he looked much healthier and stronger than he was a week ago. It seemed like he was healing well despite the heart wrenching bruises displayed on his face. Sae smiled to the boy. "I'm glad to see that you're adapting well, Ren."

"Same could be said to you." Ren laughed, sitting back down as well as he slouched into his seat, a familiar posture that the Thieves have gotten used to see their leader use.

Sae hesitated for a moment. "...Is Makoto doing alright?" She asked quietly.

Ann nodded. "She's.. alright. She just caught up with the flu, her fever is going up terribly but she's finally resting."

"We saw her drop in front of the council room while we were walkin' to our classes. Almost gave us a damn heart attack.." Ryuji sighed, a worried look on his face.

Sae let the thought sink in, she hasn't seen Makoto get so sick before. Was she too careless? She felt like it was also her fault, for not taking care of her little sister properly. After all, she's been doing an absolute worse job of being the only family member Makoto could rely on. Now she can feel the guilt eating her out piece by piece, it was a horrible feeling.

"This is my fault, I-I was careless-" Sae whispered.

"No, no, it's not." Ren shook his head. "Don't blame yourself for this."

"But how can I not? I-I admit, I'm not the best big sister. I've done things I shouldn't have, I've neglected her for so long because of my selfishness." Sae sighed deeply, comfortably sitting down in the dining table.

"It's only fair to say that I've been ignorant of how I treated her for the past few months. Heck, I never even pay attention of how she was doing in school." She continued. Resting her face into her hands, she let the guilt pang into her chest.

She remember so clearly of what she exactly said to her a few months ago, back when Makoto asked her about the Phantom Thieves. She remembered the tears that the girl shed when she received the calling card, she remembers it all too well. Only now that she realized that Makoto has almost done her entire best to take care of both of them as she piles up her Thieving work and her student council work.

"I regret it, a lot." Sae looked up to the somber faces in front of her. "About everything."

She fiddled her nails, thinking of more words she could say to the silence she received from the group. She shamefully smiled, shaking her head. "I apologize for ruining the mood, I didn't mean to get so sentimental."

"It's alright, Sae-san." Haru smiled. "I'm sure Makoto understands."

"She's probably still a bit scared of you." Ann mentioned, watching the older woman frown at her choice of words. "But- she's still determined to fix your relationship with you."

Sae lit up at that, hoping she still gets the second chance she wanted. "I'll do whatever I can." She was determined of what she could do to help Makoto feel more comfortable around her again.

"Anyway, all this sadness is making me hungry." Sae tried to brush away the depressing aura lurking in the apartment by showing off a gentle smile. "What did you make?"

"We're sorry for using your kitchen without your permission, Sae-san." Haru quickly walked past them to get into the kitchen. "But Makoto said it was alright to use the stove."

Sae chuckled, following the younger girl in the kitchen to investigate. "It's quite alright. I never used the kitchen. Makoto was always the one to cook meals for me."

"I can see that! Our Queen is very sharp and efficient in our heists, she always prepped up for everything!" Ann laughs.

"That girl has always been like that." Sae shook her head amusingly, she wasn't surprised that her sister is also the same even in their Thief events. "It's amazing how much she knows more than I do."

Soon, the whole group was settled at the dining table. Sae, being the only adult there, was weirdly surprised to see the table being so filled with people. Most of the time, it would only be her and Makoto and it was dreadfully quiet between the both of them. She undeniably felt a bit happy to see joyful faces and chattering noises in her apartment.

"That reminds me." Sae said, pausing the constant talking and catching the attention of the others. "I met Akechi today."

"Akechi?" Morgana meowed, waking up from his cat nap.

The Thieves brought their heads up to hear the familiar name again, dropping all of their smiles into a more serious expressions.

Ren's brows furrowed to the mention of Akechi. "What happened?"

Sae dropped her culinary, putting on the same face she expressed when she was interrogating someone. "He was awfully secretive."

"Right after Ann called me, I met him in the elevator. He asked why I was such in a rush, i simply told him the truth; that Makoto was ill. I wasn't sure what his intentions were but he looked almost happy to hear that."

"That bastard." Ryuji growled.

"It took almost all of my strength to not pry of what he was scheming." Sae tapped her nails on the table thoughtfully. "If I remember correctly, he said; "Send my regards to your little sister, Sae-san. She's gonna need it."" She scrunched up her face at the memory playing back in her head.

"Just listening to that makes me sick!" Ann spouted, clenching her fists.

Haru tried to console their leader who seems to be in a dilemma, his eyes downwards to the table and his brows furrowed in anger or confusion, Haru wasn't sure.

"That rat bastard is gonna pay for it." Ryuji sighed angrily, shaking his leg in habit. "He's not going to get away with this, I swear if I see his face again-"

"That's enough, Ryuji." Ren dropped his serious tone as leader, scolding the boy.

Ryuji only shook his head, he looked shaken up. "..'Sorry, leader."

"I understand how you feel, Ryuji-kun. In fact, we all do." Haru sweetly reassured him from across the table.

Sae nodded in agreement. "Yes, I just want to remind you all to be careful from now on. We don't know what Akechi or Shido have installed for you. They still must be keeping an eye on all of you."

Sae then turned to Ren. "As for you. I want you to be discreet with where you go, I don't want a dead man walking around the city only to get arrested again. Got it?"

"That's what I've been saying this whole time!" Morgana argued as he glared holes to his owner from below.

"I got it." Ren scratched his face in embarrassment, ignoring the feline's remark. "I'll be fine, don't you think? I'm not getting caught."

The others all looked at him in unison with a unimpressed looks on their faces. He raised up his hands in defense.

"Yet. You didn't get caught _yet._ " Ann got up from her chair only to flick the leader's head. "You moron."

Ren groaned at the pain afflicted on his forehead, shaking his head. "Fine, I'll be careful."

The whole group bursts into giggles and laughter, all of them finding a bit relaxation in their tense situations. Then, the late afternoon turned evening. They spent hours chatting, the group stayed in for a while to offer Sae some help to clean up the kitchen, which the woman tried to respectfully decline but she let the teens help anyway. Sae thought she would never expect her evening to go this way when she woke up this morning but she was thankful.

Suddenly, Sae watched Ren push his way through from his group and to the hallway. Curious, she followed as the male enter Makoto's room. From the slightly ajar door, she could only make out Ren's silhouette so her conclusion was to open the door more but she didn't want to disturb the girl's peaceful sleep.

She leaned against the door, watching Ren at the foot of the bed to be stroking the girl's hair. He softly kissed the her warm forehead, only to awoke her from her slumber. Ren quickly lull her back to sleep by whispering into her ears, not aware of the pair of eyes peeking.

The older woman grew a huge smile on her face and silently moved away to give the couple some privacy. To say she was surprised, she wasn't. Sae knew that Makoto was in a relationship, she just only didn't suspected who exactly but she was more than ecstatic that it was Ren who captured her sister's heart. She knew she could trust the boy.

Later that night, one by one the Thieves left the apartment with goodbyes as Sae reminded them to be careful. She was soon left alone in her quiet home. She wasn't sure why she felt so empty all of a sudden.

She turned off the lights and cleaned herself up, opening up Makoto's door to check just in case. Finally settled in her bed, releasing a huge sigh from all the stress and work. It felt like ages since she came back to her bed even though she was at the station for hours beyond.

Her eyes felt heavy but she couldn't fall asleep. All she could think was Makoto and it clouded her mind every second.

"To think, her friends did a better job taking care of her than I did.." She muttered to no one in particular, smiling solemnly. She rubbed her tired eyes before turning her head to the door of her bedroom, getting the urge to check up on her sister on last time.

Maybe she should- no. She shouldn't. But, it was for the sake of worrying. Her days as a prosecutor has led her to so much exhaustion, she's never had the time to see her sister. It wouldn't be so bad to check on her just for one second.

Sae cursed, pulling off her sheets and rushed to Makoto's room with her pillow. Opening the door silently, she crept up to the sleeping figure with quiet footsteps before sitting at the foot of the bed, right next to the girl's face.

She gently placed the back of her hand on Makoto's forehead to feel her temperature, she still felt a bit warm. She then slowly brushed away her bangs from her eyes. Sae wasn't sure the sudden joy of watching her sister look so at peace while she was asleep, she just couldn't help the giggle when the girl tighten her grip on her giant Buchimaru-kun plush.

She rest her arms and head on the bed as she watches Makoto in front of her, knowing well the first thing she wakes up to is her face. It only took the first ten minutes of watching and Sae was already in slumber.

-

"Sis. Wake up." Sae woke up to the familiar serene voice that she's grown accustomed to. Fluttering her eyes open, her tired eyes seem to pick up on a messy and sleepy brunette, smiling down to her.

She yawned, shifting her still sitting position, she groaned at the pain in his back for being in the same posture for a few hours now. "What time is it?'

"It's 5 a.m." Makoto croaked, her voice hoarse and deep but she still manages to keep a soft smile to her sister. "You need to go back to your bed, Sis or your back will hurt."

"It's.. quite alright." Sae waved it off and stretched her back, hearing an audible crack sound. She whimpered at the sound of it before relaxing completely.

She looked up to her half asleep sister who was trying to keep her eyes peeled open, she checked her temperature by feeling up her face. "You're still hot.." She said worriedly. "How do you feel?"

Almost as if on time, Makoto's coughing fits had came back. Her throat let out ghastly and sickly coughs, she wheezed her breaths through it. "I feel terrible."

"Why don't you take a nap? How about a bath? I'm... going to make something for you in the mean time." Sae knew she regretted right when she let those words come out of her mouth. The brunette lit up.

"R-Really?" Makoto almost sounded hopeful.

"Y-Yes, of course." She can't take back those words now.

Makoto nodded frantically, like a child. Sae wished she had said her prayers, she didn't look forward blowing up her kitchen. Bad was just an understatement, she hasn't touched the stove in a very long time.

But this was for her sister. She's looking forward to this, she can't fail her now..!

In slight confidence, she stroked Makoto's face before standing up on her feet and helping the girl up. "Are you alright? Do you need help to go to the bathroom?"

Makoto shook her head. "N-No." She hesitated.

"Are you sure?"

"Y-Yeah. Yes, yes." She confirmed by carefully holding her sister's shoulder as support before letting her go. She felt wobbliness in her legs from her dizziness so she quickly held on to her walls and any sort of balanced object near her as guidance. "I'm alright."

Sae watched her all the way to the bathroom, just in case if she fell. Sighing in relief once the brunette was safely in the toilet and the door was closed shut. Quickly, she rushed to the kitchen, fear welling up in her.

"It shouldn't be that bad, just make something easy." Sae told herself, opening the fridge up. "You can do this, Niijima. No problem."

She found yesterday's chicken soup that the thieves thoughtfully helped with yesterday and decided to warm it up in the same pot it was cooked in. She managed to find some ingredients in the back of the fridge, pushing out some containers out of the way. Which reminded her that Makoto does most of the grocery shopping as well as keeping dinner, lunch and dinner leftovers in containers. She should help out with her sometime.

Sae intensely focused on chopping up scallions and some preserved vegetables as condiments, careful to not cut or injure any of her fingers. Chop, chop, chop - slow and steady. No need to rush.

She planned to make rice porridge, which was an ideal meal for a sick person and mostly because it _was_ easy to make.

"So far, so good." Sae smiled to herself, turning off the fire for the chicken soup as she cleaned the rice thoroughly. The young woman suddenly hears the door shutting close, she was greeted to a damp haired Makoto in her new set of pajamas (which were not Buchi) - while she was wrapped in her blankets, dragging it along with her to the couch.

"Are you okay, Makoto?" She asked while she takes care of the breakfast.

"Slightly better than before.." She groaned, coughing. She wrapped herself up more in her warm blanket cocoon, pulling up her legs to her chest, hugging herself. She sniffed the sweet aroma of breakfast being made. "It smells good, Sis."

"It's only porridge and yesterday's chicken soup. I can't get you anything else for now but this is the most I can do. I mean, you are better at cooking than I am." Sae laughed, shaking her head. Makoto pouted.

"..I think you're doing well, Sis." The brunette reassured. Climbing up to her couch's headrest, watching her sister cook in the kitchen intently before coughing up another round.

Sae couldn't help a pleased smile appearing on her face hearing the compliment. Soon, she set up breakfast for the both of them at 6:30 a.m. None of them didn't care it was too early, the sun is about to rise anyway.

Makoto, for once not sluggish in her posture, sat down in her seat across her sister and stared at her. Sae met her gaze, confused.

"..What's wrong?" Slightly panicked, hoping she cooked acceptably for the girl.

The brunette blinked her eyes a few moments. "..Oh, n-no! It's nothing." She smiled sheepishly.

"..It's just very weird.. not seeing you in your usual suit and makeup on. I-In a good way of course!" She rambled. "..I-I think you should look this way more often, Sis. You are beautiful."

Sae widened her eyes at that, her face heating upon the sudden compliment. "Y-You really think so?"

Makoto smiled brightly. "Of course."

Sae still stricken from the compliment was a bit in a daze, she wasn't expecting a genuine appreciation from her sister so early in the morning. It wasn't good for her heart that's for sure. She didn't even noticed Makoto digging into her breakfast happily eventhough her throat painfully cease her hunger.

Right when the brunette finished her plate, she started coughing again. Gagging and wheezing between her coughs, Sae quickly stayed by her side to rub up and down her back to provide some sort of comfort. It was time she took her medicine anyway.

"I'm going to take your medicine alright? Drink some water in the mean time." Sae patted her back. Makoto nodded, resting a hand on her chest and then to her neck. She winced as the water coated her sore throat, it hurt. Soon, the older woman returned with the familiar medicine bag that Ren had brought yesterday.

It took awhile but after all her dose of meds, Makoto was back into her cocoon of blankets, comfortably resting on the couch while her sister decided to clean up the table. Sae decided to sit next to her, figuring out what to do as she sat up straight and tense. She had so many things she wanted to say.

"Makoto." She almost whispered. "I just wanted to say-"

The both of them froze up with the sudden phone ringtone from Sae, ringing loudly jn their apartment. The older woman clenched her jaw and released an protesting exhale, she looked at her sister who seems conflicted - like she knew it was going to happen but she nodded to her, giving her permission to pick up the call.

"I'll be right back." Sae guiltily muttered to her before picking up her call in the hallway.

She was ready to snark at whoever was calling her right now of all times only to find out it was her SIU Director, she rolled her eyes back. "Yes, Niijima speaking."

Meanwhile Makoto watched her sister press her phone against her ear, tightening her grip on the mechanic. Her lips shaped into a straight line the more she listened to her boss.

"Sir, my working hours aren't until evening-" Sae argued, placing a hand on her forehead.

She widened her eyes suddenly, Makoto wished she could hear their conversation. "Sir, with all due respect, I have my rights when to come to work. I see no reason for me to be there at the time when you put me on stand by." She looked angry now.

"Sir-" Sae was then left hanging as the line went off, indicating that her director hung up. She bit her lip, holding her phone close to her chest before returning back to the couch next to Makoto.

"...What's wrong, Sis?" Makoto started off quietly, she didn't want to upset her sister more.

The older woman stood silent for a good solid minute before glancing at her sister. "..I have to get back to work."

"Oh." Makoto didn't mean to sound so disappointed but she was. "I-I mean-"

"I'm sorry, Makoto." Sae rested her hand on the girl's head, she looked genuinely sad to be leaving for work.

"No. D-Don't apologize, Sis. It's alright." The brunette tried to smile, watching her sister reply back with a similar smile before she walked away to her bedroom to change up. Makoto was left alone for the moment in her cocoon and she was soon greeted to Sae in her usual prosecutor outfit.

Sae saw the visible upset look on Makoto's face, she gripped her bag and kneeled down in front of her.

"I swear I'll be back home soon." She nodded, holding the girl's warm hand tightly. "I'll bring back something for you while I'm out."

The brunette nodded, showing at least a relieved smile to her sister as her coughing turned for the worse. She leaned back down on the couch, covering her mouth. Her sore body felt mildly uncomfortable in her position so she turned around so that her front was faced down to the couch. Sae placed a hand on her back, she could feel the heat from her body through the blankets. She rubbed her back up and down, providing some sort of comfort.

"I don't want to leave you here alone though." Sae thought deeply. "How about I call over your friends again?"

Makoto dug her face into the cushions and turned her head around, she looked happy. The happiest Sae has ever seen her, perhaps it was a good choice to bring the group over again. They can help the brunette while Sae was out for the moment.

The older woman then contacted Ren on phone while she got ready to go to work, she figured he was awake by now since it was a holiday. After a few beeps on the other line, she heard a slurring greeting from him. It seems he just woke up and the first thing she received was a string of questions about Makoto from the boy, she was amused how worried he was.

"She's alright, Ren. I promise. Bring the others as well then. Thank you." Sae hung up the call once she has her confirmation, she glanced at the curious look on the brunette's face.

"..Was that Ren?" She asked, ever so hopeful.

"Yes, it was. He asked if you were okay or not.He'll be here later with the others." Sae nodded.

Makoto gleefully grinned, laying back down on the couch with a lovestruck gaze in her eyes. Sae raised a brow.

"You seem awfully happy about Ren. I wasn't sure if it was true you were dating the boy but now I ha-"

Makoto gasped, sitting upright and looking back to her sister bewildered. "W-W-Where did you get that idea?!" Her fast actions and change of position caused another set of dry coughing. That doesn't seem to stop the blushing she occurred on her face.

Sae smirked, scoffing. She leaned against the doorway to the outside. "You think I didn't know?"

She watched younger just sputtered nonsense out of her mouth as her face grew more and more red. She was absolutely flabbergasted. "Uh, I-I-"

"Makoto, it's fine." Sae laughed, she couldn't get over the priceless look on her sister's face.

"..You're not mad?" Makoto nervously wondered if her sister was going to rip her boyfriend's head off if she found out she was dating the boy.

"Of course not." Sae waved it off but her relaxed expression suddenly dropped into a glare - a very quick escalation she didn't expect. "But if he does anything to you, he will pay the consequences. From me."

The brunette laughed anxiously. "I'm sure he's had enough interrogation, Sis." She said with a small voice before saying her goodbyes to her hardworking sister as she left the apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY OKAY BEFORE YOU ALL YELL AT ME I know futaba and yusuke aren't in the chapter yet dbdjdhdj i apologize dearly ;; i didn't want to drag this chapter too long i promise they're in the next chapter lol
> 
> The last two chapters are for the rest of the thieves and sae's resolution with her sis uwu
> 
> Again, I apologize for the extreme update delay. I'm back in school and I never found the time to write properly ;; pls bare with me :") but thank you for reading <3
> 
> follow me on twt @hoseoksbbyy if y'all do wanna yell at me ok thank


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